Colorado custom homebuilder Jeff Jacob’s multimillion-dollar collection of Star Wars figures, G.I. Joes, and rarities from other popular toy lines is expected to commandeer the Force when it makes its auction debut at Hake’s Auctions. The initial offering of 435 lots from Jacob’s 33-year collection will introduce a multi-part series of online sales slated for 2025. Bidding on Part I opened on January 6, the same day the fully illustrated catalog publishes on Hake’s website. All lots will close on January 22, 2025.
Acknowledged as one of the world’s largest and finest collections of its type, Jacob’s pop culture trove includes more than 3,000 pieces that traverse the action figure universe, starting with 1970s Star Wars characters and progressing into the 1980s with premier G.I. Joe, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Masters of the Universe, and other productions. Nearly all figures, playsets, vehicles, and other items in the collection are AFA-graded and reflect Jacob’s decades-long mission to upgrade his holdings until the finest available examples had been acquired. Most pieces are high grade, and some are the highest graded specimens of their type, per the AFA Population Report. In this opening sale of the series, 47 pieces are identified as being in the single highest grade known, with none graded higher.
“Jeff’s collection also adds a whole new meaning to the term ‘fresh to the market.’ Many of his toys have never appeared at any auction before. They’ve always been privately owned,” Hake’s Auctions President Alex Winter said. “In addition to extremely rare action figures, Jeff’s collection includes playsets, vehicles and other highly desirable Star Wars kits and collectibles, as well as some of the most elusive G.I. Joe, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Masters of the Universe productions.” Winter added that the Jacob collection stands apart because of its complete or near-complete runs, extraordinarily rare variations, and items that are either sole survivors or one of few known to exist.
Based on social media chatter and enquiries from potential bidders, a likely contender for top lot is a Star Wars double-telescoping Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi 12-back-A AFA 85 NM+ with a SKU on the footer. Only two carded double-telescoping specimens of this figure are known to exist in such a high grade, and of those two, the one offered by Hake’s will make history as the first to appear at auction. To date, Hake’s has sold three double-telescoping Ben Kenobi figures, although of different grades to the one in the January 22 auction. One of them sold in November 2022 for $79,000. The current record stands at $125,000, and that record may very well be broken by Jeff Jacob’s example, which has a starting bid of $50,000 and an open-ended estimate.
The Empire Strikes Back 4-LOM 48-back-A AFA 60 took Jacob 20 years to acquire. The rarest production figure of all Kenner’s Star Wars toy lines, it is notable for being on a 48-back-A with no pre-figure offer sticker, as opposed to the more typical type on a 48-back-C card with an Admiral Ackbar offer. Only four examples of the 48-back-A type have been graded by AFA, and this one is the first ever to come to Hake’s. Estimate: $20,000-$35,000
There’s great excitement over a boxed Star Wars Cantina Adventure Set AFA 85, a toy every collector wants. The set contains bagged action figures of a very hard-to-find blue-version Snaggletooth, Greedo, Hammerhead, and Walrus Man, as well as mailer boxes for the figures, a sealed bag of pegs, a cardboard backdrop, cardboard inserts, in-package catalogs and assembly instructions. The auction example is one of only five known in this grade, according to the AFA Population Report, and no others have been documented in a higher grade. The estimate is $10,000-$20,000.
Rarity is front and center yet again with a Kenner Boba Fett 12” Series AFA 85, which is one of only four examples at that grade, according to the AFA Population Report, with no others known in a higher grade. Of all 12-inch figures, Boba Fett is the most highly valued and will cross the auction block with a $10,000-$20,000 estimate.
Other than a few collections in Mexico, few can rival Jacob’s assortment of Mexican-made Lili Ledy Star Wars figures on cards with Spanish-language text. “Lili Ledy was one of Jeff’s obsessions, and he managed to acquire some exceptionally rare productions. One of them is a Star Wars: El Regreso Del Jedi/Return Of The Jedi 3-3/4” Luke Skywalker action figure dressed in Bepsin fatigues. On a 30-back and AFA-graded 80 NM, it’s one of only three or four known to exist and is the first of its type to appear in one of our sales,” Winter said. It is estimated at $10,000-$20,000.
In a collection as refined as Jacob’s, one would expect to see a coveted early bird mail-away kit. Bidders will not be disappointed. The auction includes a beautiful AFA 85 kit with figures that include a double-telescoping Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and R2-D2. The encapsulated case also contains the original white mailer box, vacuform plastic tray, a baggie with plastic pegs for posing figures, mini-catalog advertising the Star Wars action figure line and vehicles, and a mail-away offer for the corresponding stand. Only three such kits are known to have received a higher grade than the one to be auctioned. Estimate: $20,000-$35,000
A Star Wars department store catalog multi-pack mailers display AFA Uncirculated U85NM+, is absolutely one of a kind. It includes four different multi-pack mailers (one Sears and three JC Penney), each with a different selection of figures. This grouping of four mailers is the only one of its type ever to be graded by AFA as a single entity, and its auction estimate is $10,000-$20,000.
Another specialty Jacob enthusiastically pursued was character coins, including the ultimate acquisition in this category: a complete Power of the Force base set. It contains 62 pressed aluminum coins, each measuring 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Kenner initially offered such coins in a mail-away offer and later issued them in a carded format with their Power of the Force action figures. Each of the set’s coins is graded AFA 85 NM+ and originally came directly from a former Kenner employee. Hake’s experts believe the January 22 auction may be the first time a complete AFA-graded collection of this type has been sold as a whole. Set estimate: $20,000-$35,000
An extremely rare Australian issue is Jacob’s Power of the Force Nikto (Warok coin) 92-back AFA 85. The blister card contains a 3-3/4” figure of a Nikto – a sentient humanoid species from the planet Kintan – paired with a mismatched Warok aluminum collectors coin. Only eight examples of this exact figure/coin type and grade appear in the current AFA Population Report, with none graded higher. It comes to auction with a $10,000-$20,000 estimate.
Fans of shape-shifting Transformers are sure to be laser-focused on a mint/boxed/sealed Hasbro Transformers Series 1 Megatron (Decepticon leader) AFA 80. It is among the most desirable Series 1 Transformers toys, with only two examples known in an AFA 80 grade according to the current AFA Population Report. The example to be auctioned is the first such toy of its type with intact tape seals that Hake’s has ever offered. Estimate: $10,000-$20,000
From the G.I. Joe portion of Jeff Jacob’s collection, a top prize is the rare Hovercraft (KILLER W.H.A.L.E.) Series 3 vehicle AFA 75. The profusely graphic box contains a figure, a full complement of accessories, an instruction sheet, and much more. This iconic toy would have been an extravagance for most families of the 1980s, which explains why it did not sell in large numbers and is so hard to find today. One of only 10 sealed examples graded by AFA, it carries a $5,000-$10,000 estimate.
Also not to be missed is the first offering from Jacob’s specialty selection of Star Wars proof cards. Very few proof cards have survived. Those created for the Revenge of the Jedi title are the most popular with collectors. A Boba Fett proof card produced by Kenner prior to the film’s name change to Return of the Jedi AFA 85, represents one of 50 different characters appearing on the initial Revenge of the Jedi proof cards. In an archival case, it is estimated at $5,000-$10,000.
For a free printed catalog or additional information on any item in the sale, call (866) 404-9800 (toll free) or (717) 434-1600, or email hakes@hakes.com. View the fully illustrated catalog online and sign up to bid at hakes.com.
